Blue Eyes
by Catiekay
Summary: A boy named Arthur moves in a few houses down from Alfred, and not only is he blind, but he is also grumpy, solemn, and snobby. However, once the two boys get to know each other, they become friends. Unfortunately for Alfred, friendship becomes something much more.


Alfred giggled as Arthur's soft fingertips traveled up his face, tracing his cheek bones and temples. His fingernails tickled his skin, sending goosebumps down his arms. Although Arthur's green eyes were unfocused and cloudy, his expression was that of concentration as he lightly felt his way around Alfred's grin.

"Stop smiling," Arthur scowled. "You're making it difficult to get a decent outline of your face." He teasingly smacked Alfred's forehead, then continued drawing his fingers from one end of his jawbone to the other.

"Well, you should stop glowering," Alfred replied, "or you're face will get stuck like that." He pressed a thumb to the frown lines between Arthur's eyebrows, trying to smooth them down. "Besides, you wouldn't know that I have dimples if I stopped smiling."

The two boys were sitting on the floor of Arthur's room, surrounded by a barricade of papers and homework. Alfred, having no one to turn to but his neighbor and best friend, decided to come over and ask for help. Since Arthur was homeschooled, he had little homework and plenty of time to hang around Alfred. Hours later however, the work had all but been forgotten as they found other more enjoyable things to do. What else was expected of two fifteen-year-old boys on a Saturday morning?

Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "Do you?"

With a smirk, Alfred took Arthur's hands and guided them closer to his mouth, just below the corners where the alleged dimples would be. For a moment, his pale fingers skittered around the edges of Alfred's lips, skeptically searching, but then a smile replaced the suspicious look Arthur had as he finally landed on the small indentations.

His fingers rested there for a quiet moment, and Alfred watched as Arthur's vacant eyes tried to pinpoint his face, more or less settling on his left ear. He would never admit just how much he enjoyed his little facial explorations to Arthur. As far as he was concerned, Alfred was a close friend and nothing more. In the meantime, he would have to make do with Arthur's innocent, curious touches. He valued their friendship too much to go any further.

The two boys had known each for a little more than a year. They met the day after Arthur and his family moved in two houses down, and Alfred's parents decided to greet them with a batch of cookies and warm smiles. Of course, Alfred was reluctant to go along, especially after finding out Arthur was a rather grumpy and solemn individual. However, after a couple of months of short get-togethers and conversations, their apprehensiveness turned into friendship. And unfortunately for Alfred, friendship turned into something much more.

He did not recall ever feeling this way toward another boy or toward anyone at all, in fact. There were girls he thought were good-looking, but they never left a fluttering, nervous sensation in his stomach like Arthur's presence did, nor would his face turn red when they leaned in close. Alfred had told no one about these experiences, since he knew having such sentiments about another young man would be severely frowned upon, yet keeping them all to himself was driving him mad.

"You do have dimples," Arthur verified. "I wish I could see them." An expression of yearning crossed Arthur's face, his hands slowly drifting down towards his jaw line.

"They're not that special," Alfred said with a shrug. He leaned in so that their foreheads were mere inches apart. Arthur's warm breath wafted against his chin, smelling of peppermint and Chai tea. His eyes, now happening to look straight into Alfred's own, caused him to gasp. Alfred could never get enough of those unseeing, sullen, and stunning eyes. They reminded him of a quiet rainy day: misty, glistening, and calm. _Thank God he can't see me_, he thought, feeling his ears and cheeks heat up.

"Of course they're special," Arthur scolded. "Everything about you is special." Arthur brought his hands upwards. "Everything from your cheekbones..." His fingers trailed down the bridge of his nose. "Your long nose…" Then Arthur stroked his upper lip. Alfred's breath hitched. "To your probably pink lips," Arthur laughed. "I suppose you can't be all that ugly, can you?"

"Hey," Alfred huffed. "I'll have you know that I've given my number out to a whole bunch of girls. How many have you given yours to?"

"Please, I have better things to do than hang out with some dumb girl," Arthur scoffed, waving Alfred's question away.

"You're just jealous."

Arthur snorted, moving his hands to just below Alfred's eyes. "Oh, yes, I couldn't be more envious of your ability to woo people."

Silence fell between them. Alfred averted his eyes as Arthur lightly tapped his cheeks. He hoped that Arthur would not notice how warm they were. A frown appeared between Arthur's eyebrows, as if thinking hard about something. Alfred was just about to tease him when he asked a question.

"What color are your eyes?"

Alfred blinked a few times. He thought it was a strange inquiry until he remembered that Arthur had no way to tell.

"Guess," he replied smugly.

Arthur pursed his lips. "Are they brown?"

"Try again."

Grunting, he let his hands fall into his lap. "How about green, like mine?"

Alfred shook his head. Brushing some flyaway hairs away from his own face, he leaned back and rested on his hands. Even from a distance, Arthur's irises were vivid and noticeable. Or maybe he was just biased because of his attraction to him. _They're not nearly as beautiful as your eyes_, he thought with a smile.

"Pardon?"

The grin immediately vanished. Had he mumbled that aloud?

"I didn't say anything," Alfred stuttered, his voice creeping up an octave.

"Yes you did," Arthur stated. "Something about my eyes?" He crawled forward until their faces were close again. Alfred could not help but notice that Arthur was almost in his lap.

"No, I swear I said nothing!" He tried to keep the desperate undertones out of his voice. This was quickly spiraling downwards.

"Liar," Arthur accused. "I'm not deaf, too, you know."

Not knowing how to escape the situation, Alfred tried to wriggle out from beneath him. There was no way he was going to tell Arthur what he muttered. Instead, he accidently knocked Arthur's hands out from under him, causing him to fall. He crashed into Alfred's chest and they both toppled over with a _thump!_

Groaning, Alfred rubbed the back of his head and tried to sit up. Arthur lay heavily on top of him. "Dude, get off. My lungs are going to collapse," he gasped, trying to push him off. Raising his head, he glared at the boy, which of course, was lost on him.

Arthur hummed. "No thanks. I like it right here," he said complacently, feigning interest in his fingernails. "I'm positive you broke my elbow, and therefore I have to punish you."

Alfred huffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, you big baby."

Dragging his fingernails in circles on Alfred's shirt, Arthur sighed, sending a few hairs around his face flying upwards. "I suppose I can forgive you this time."

"Well, good," Alfred began, a sly grin appearing as he placed his hands on Arthur's shoulders. "That means I can do this!"

With a shove, Alfred heaved Arthur off his body, pushing him sideways and onto the floor. He landed with a stunned yelp, arms flailing. Watching his hilariously shocked expression, Alfred covered his mouthed and snickered.

He expected Arthur to send him a nasty glower and cuss him out (which only amused him more), but instead felt arms wrap around his shoulders. Surprised, his eyes widened as he found Arthur pulling himself closer.

However, Arthur's intentions were not romantic, unfortunately. And, Alfred noticed, the death glare had made its appearance at last.

"Maybe I should just suffocate you. That would end the majority of my suffering."

Trying to regulate his breathing, Alfred laughed and brushed off the comment. "Nah, you'd miss me."

Somehow, a genuine smile broke through Arthur's ominous glower, taking Alfred by surprise. All the strength left his arms. Sometimes Arthur was so unpredictable and it confused Alfred to no end, but somehow intrigued him at the same time. "True," Arthur replied shortly. "I would miss you."

Alfred watched as the grin slowly faded away, leaving in its place a thoughtful look. Out of context, he would have thought Arthur looked sad. "I'd miss you a lot, actually."

Silence once again settled amongst them. Alfred bit his lower lip and looked away, thinking he could boil water with the amount of heat his face was emitting. Did Arthur mean that? Was there a deeper meaning behind those words? Was he over-thinking again?

Arthur slid his arms from his shoulders down around his torso and scooted so close that Alfred could hear his friend's heartbeat. Gulping, Alfred tried to maintain a reasonable distance.

"You know," Arthur whispered. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

The following quiet was so thick it felt like cotton balls in Alfred's ears. He bit the inside of his cheek and willed his heart to slow down. He could only guess what Arthur would say next, but his brain jumped to silly, unwanted conclusions. _Teenage hormones stink_, he decided.

It was several seconds before Arthur continued. "I know it's hardly been more than a year since we've met, but you're one of my best friends, Alfred."

Disappointment washed over him like a tidal wave and he all his breath whooshed out of him. How funny was it that just a few words could mean so much? But Arthur was not finished.

"We've become so close and I feel so blessed to know you. I know it may not seem like it at times, but it's true."

Alfred smiled in spite of his sad realization. Almost subconsciously, Alfred slipped his hand through Arthur's messy blonde hair and let it fall through his fingers. Even if he could not have him, he would cherish little moments like these. Alfred closed his eyes and dropped his arm onto Arthur's waist.

Then he felt a cold, moist hand wrap around his own.

"And…"

Alfred heard Arthur's voice croak, as if he was having trouble saying his words.

"I…" Arthur started. He stopped and heard him suck in a deep breath. "I really like you, Alfred."

Alfred's whole body froze, eyes shooting open. He gaped at Arthur, who he had never seen looking so nervous. Only now did he realize how much Arthur's hands were shaking holding his own and the shade of crimson his cheeks had turned. He licked his lips and seemed to be waiting for a response.

Before Alfred could come up with anything coherent, Arthur interjected, looking even more flustered. He remembered that Arthur had no way to tell how he was reacting. "Now I know you probably don't swing that way and that you probably have a girl you like, but for some reason I thought now would be a good time to tell you and—"

Alfred found himself putting a finger to Arthur's lips, lightly hushing him. A small, relieved laugh escaped from his mouth as Arthur's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Placing his hands around the other's face, he leaned in so that their foreheads and noses touched.

Taking in a small breath, Alfred murmured to an uncertain Arthur, "I really like you, too."

For a long moment, the two boys lay still, listening to the other's irregular breathing. Alfred could hardly believe what he was hearing, much less what he was saying.

"You…you're not joking?" Arthur asked cautiously after an intense silence.

"No," he replied quietly, "not one bit."

Two sets of cold fingers found their way to Alfred's cheeks, leaving behind tingling sensations. A huge, reassured grin spread across Arthur's lips, and he chuckled softly. Alfred, too, joined in until both of the boys were laughing audibly, both overjoyed and astonished that they would hear such news from the other. They grasped each other's hands and giggled like small children until they ran out of breath, then gently rubbed their noses together.

"I never would have suspected," Arthur beamed. "I thought you would have been more interested in girls since you seem to know so many."

"I thought so, too, until I got to know you," Alfred said sheepishly.

Humming, Arthur pulled away just enough so that Alfred could see his entire face. He tried to suppress the sudden urge to kiss Arthur, and instead opted on pressing his lips against Arthur's forehead.

A small grunt came from Arthur, and for a split second, Alfred worried that he had crossed a boundary already, but then Arthur's fingertips touched just below his eyes.

"You never told me what color your eyes are," he reminded him.

With a sigh of relief, Alfred ran his hands up and down Arthur's back. "And I told you that you had to guess, remember?" An annoyed grumble came from Arthur.

"I suppose I'm left with only one color, hmm?"

Nodding mutely, he waited for Arthur to answer. He felt two thumbs trace around his mouth, and Alfred inhaled sharply.

"I'm guessing your eyes are blue," he said, his breath warming his cheeks. "My favorite color."

"And as of a few minutes ago, green is mine," Alfred responded, smirking. Slowly closing in, he tried to ignore his rampantly beating heart. He could almost feel the anticipation around them as he tried not to think too hard about what he was going to do.

Finally mustering all his courage, Alfred closed his lips around Arthur's, who flinched. Goosebumps sprung up all over his arms the minute they touched, and it then that he realized he had no idea what he was doing; it was his first kiss.

After a few seconds, he pulled away, their lips making a soft _pop!_ He took a peak at Arthur, who was smiling dazedly. A red blush crept up both of their necks as they lay still, holding hands.

"Alfred," Arthur whispered. He grunted in reply, closing his eyes. "Don't you still have homework to do?"

Alfred frowned, annoyed with the reminder. He pulled away and sat up. "You sure know how to set the mood, Arthur."

Arthur scoffed. "Well, I didn't want you to forget! Grades are important."

Taking his hand, Alfred helped Arthur sit up and come to a standing position. He grabbed his white cane from the closet and gave it to him. "How about we get something to eat? We can work on that stuff together a bit later."

Rolling his eyes, Arthur adjusted the strap on the cane to fit his wrist. "Fine. Hand me my jacket and we can head out."After suiting up for the weather, Alfred took Arthur's free hand in his own and they both walked out of the house.

Although they had no idea where they would go, they took joy in the fact that they would be together, no matter where they went.


End file.
